


a house is just a body

by Hey_There_Cowboy



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Ghosts, Alternate Universe - Human, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Spooooooky, Violence, ghost haunting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-13
Updated: 2018-12-13
Packaged: 2019-09-17 10:09:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16972596
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hey_There_Cowboy/pseuds/Hey_There_Cowboy
Summary: When Gavin moves into a house on the cheap, he was expecting to start a new chapter in his life. He got what he bargained for in new, maybe even a little bit more.Inspired byThe Haunting of Hill House.





	a house is just a body

**1:29 AM - January 2nd, 2037**

Silence filtered through the little neighborhood as families laid sleeping; the newly dusted snow rested over the roofs of houses, cars, and trash cans like fine powdered sugar. The light from the street lamps refracted across the snow and made the yellow glow reach the porches of homes, casting dull shadows. 

It was calm, almost peaceful, but only just almost peaceful. 

There was a home that sat just outside of the street lamps’ reach. A single structure cast in shadow and dark from the surrounding trees, encased in a deafening silence. 

A perfect target for anyone who drove by and thought about it long enough. Planned enough for it. 

Darkness moved, just as quiet, and slipped through a door with a broken lock. Grazing over valuables, taking their sweet time in picking what they wanted when it was time to leave, but ultimately there for a different prize. 

When they moved up the stairs, they pressed themselves up to the doors that were closed, listening to hear a sign of life. The promise of it made their heart beat erratically in their chest. 

But with hope comes mistakes. As silent as they tried to be, a warped floorboard was overlooked, and the alarm was deafening to the ears of darkness, ringing out into the night. 

There was no more prowling to be done, the darkness had come for that warm body on the other side of the door. And as they sank the sharp edge of a knife in between his ribs, red-hot _satisfaction_ bloomed in their own chest. 

It was such an excellent way for them to start the new year; the thrill of ending another’s, to watch as blue, _blue_ eyes went cold as the night outside. 

 

 

———— 

 

 

**6:02 AM - May 10th, 2038**

There were no large trucks or furniture deliveries the day Gavin moved into his new home. He arrived in the early morning with his own rented U-Haul that carried everything from his old apartment in the city to the small suburban neighborhood with towering oaks and enough foliage between the houses to make natural fences. Each small yard gave way to cottage-like homes, sporting tightly packed gardens or rockscapes that wrapped around like a mote, or vines creeping up between the bricks and onto the roofs. Rustic and charming.

Gavin’s home wasn’t any different, really, from the others; maybe the garden was a little too shabby, but it was otherwise a quaint two-floor, two bedrooms with an attic. The house sat on the outer edge of the neighborhood, away from the central road that all the rest of the homes sat on off of the main entrance. That was one of the reasons why the price of the house was so low; no one wants to sleep near high traffic, in fear of being the easiest to rob. Being a cop himself made Gavin overlook this anxiety; a simple fake security sign on the lawn should do the trick. 

Regardless, the detective couldn’t pass up on the deal the realtor presented when he walked into the home a week prior. The house was around ten years old but had updated appliances, new hardwood floors, furniture included, and even a finished attic. The cherry on top was that the house’s realtor, an overweight, sweaty man, made an offer Gavin droves below his price range. It was like a dream come true; pieces were finally falling into their exact places. 

Gavin pulled into the driveway and parked, smiling to himself as the morning light made the front of the house glow warmly. He hadn't lived in a proper home for the past twenty years; living in a city with all the noise and bothersome neighbors had finally worn him down too much. He also supposed it was time for him to move on into a new chapter in his life, finally do the grown-up thing, and invest in something so… permanent. 

A slight movement caught Gavin’s eye as he stared at the house. The curtains in the window just above the front door porch ruffled as if someone was straightening them to be a little more open. The detective squinted, he swore he could see something, like a silhouette of someone in the window, but the rising sunlight was caught on the windows and nearly blinded him in the reflection. 

Swearing, Gavin pinched his eyes shut, and little blue shapes danced across his dark vision. He couldn’t dwell on what he might have seen too much as his phone started to ring, blasting Jump by Van Halen, because Tina thought it was a hilariously ironic song. 

“I thought you didn’t wake up until twelve on Saturdays,” Gavin grunted into the phone as he shifted out of the truck to open up the back and unload cargo. He winced slightly when the metal roll-up door of the truck slipped out of his hand and flew up with a loud clunk. Good thing the trees soaked up the noise as to not disturb anyone still sleeping in the neighborhood. 

“I thought assholes like you didn’t either, but here we are,” Tina’s voice had a bite to it that was only ever present when she was tired, “Are you breaking shit already before we get there?” 

“No,” The detective almost dropped a plastic tub labeled plates as we tried to maneuver his phone between his shoulder and ear, but she didn’t need to know that, “And even if I was, I’d make you fuckin’ clean it up.”

“Bitch,” He snorted at Tina’s quip, “But as I was saying, Beth and I will be there in like a minute. Don’t go lifting your old ass couch; I don’t want you blowing out your back.” 

They said their goodbyes just as Gavin meandered his way to the front door of the house. He placed the plastic tub onto the ground before pocketing his phone. As he fished out his keys, the house keys glinted, all shiny and clean, in the morning light. The realtor had mentioned that the house was even decked out with new locks, certified to keep burglars out. Gavin had scoffed at the realtor, telling him that whenever new technology came out like that, it was only a matter of time before some punk learns how to bypass it. And again, he wasn’t really worried about having his place being broken into. 

Unlocking the front door, Gavin went to grab the brass handle to push it open. Just as his fingers touched the metal though, an overwhelming feeling of his blood turning cold washed over him. The shock of the feeling caused him to trip forward, his shoulder pushing into the wood, and Gavin was sent tumbling into the foyer. He scrambled to get up, his breath ragged and quick, and jumped when the door slammed into the stopper.

Only sunlight was present in the dark house as it streamed through the windows. Gavin’s fall disturbed the dust that sat on the ground, making it shoot up and float back down like snow in the cross light. It was even colder inside the home. 

Out of habit, the man strained his ears to listen for anything as he stood still in the foyer, but was only greeted by an eerie silence. 

He couldn’t shake the feeling of being watched. 

The silence was broken when a car arrived in the driveway, the gravel crunching beneath the wheels. Looking around for just a second more, Gavin scrunched his nose as he rubbed his arms; the odd chill was still present but much less intense. Bright green numbers caught his eye on the wall, and when he inspected it closer, the thermostat read sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit. 

The realtor must have turned it down to save energy, was Gavin’s thought as he pressed to buttons to bring the temperature up before turning around to see Tina and her wife, Beth, step out of their car. 

Tina, in old and gross civilian clothes, yelled,“‘Sup bitch!” Beth shook her head, adoring the way her companion was as a person, and she waved a hand in hello.

He grinned, the cold was forgotten as he went out of the house to go greet his friends. He, they, had a lot of work to do that day; Gavin Reed owned a house, and he intended on making it his home.

 

 

———— 

 

 

It was evening by the time they finished unloading boxes, sweeping out the dust, and rearranging the little furniture that Gavin did own. Tina insisted that she buy a pizza as a housewarming gift to go with the six pack of beers she brought. When he offered one to Beth, she declined, saying that she had a class to teach in the morning.

“Y’know, Gav, I’m really proud of you,” Tina leaned back into the worn cushions of his couch as she opened up a third bottle. It was then that Beth swooped in to take the remain two and store them in the kitchen just off from the living room. 

“Proud?” The man inquired before biting into his slice.

She nodded, the flush on her cheeks from the beer subtle, but just enough to let Gavin know she was about to talk out of her buzzed ass, “I’m proud that you grew the fuck up and did something adultish. When are ya gonna get yourself a guy and get married now?” 

“Not everyone meets their forever and always when they’re in high school and then goes on to marrying them,” Gavin smiled as he heard Beth’s laugh from the kitchen. 

His friend took a long drink before replying, “Yeah yeah, but really dude. Last time you went on a date with a guy, we couldn’t set foot in that part of the mall because you guys ‘ended the night badly.’” Tina framed the phrase by imitating air quotes with her fingers. 

Gavin rolled his eyes, but he felt warmth grow on his cheeks in embarrassment at the memory of Jonathan. They really didn’t end the night well when they got back to his apartment, and his recent case files were strewn about his kitchen table; it was a double homicide, pictures, diagrams, all the gruesome details just sitting there for him to look at when Gavin went to get some drinks. His guest ended up in the bathroom, throwing up, and they both decided that it would be better to end the night early. 

“I’m a fucking detective,” Gavin spoke around the pizza in his mouth, “I ain’t got time for dicking around.” 

Tina waved a hand, “Dicking, smicking, it's about love dude--”

“Aaand I think it’s time to go home,” Beth stood to the side of the couch, her jacket on and her hand clutching Tina’s while the other carried the car keys.

Gavin’s friend shared her dismay with a loud fart noise and grumbled more about love as Gavin walked with them out the door. After placing her wife into the passenger seat, Beth gave him a hug and wished him a good night before getting into the car. Gavin watched from the front porch of the house as the car wheels crunked over the gravel, the yellow headlights blinding him slightly. 

Once the car backed out of the driveway and onto the main road, Gavin sighed and closed his eyes just to take it all in. 

A slight breeze caused the trees around the home to rustle, but the chorus of toads and crickets was deafening. When he opened his eyes again, it wasn’t so dark as the moonlight filtered down, illuminating his slightly overgrown lawn. That was a chore for another day, and Gavin sighed again as he turned around to head back inside.

The sounds from outside were almost nonexistent when he closed the door, making the house feel so much larger in the silence. Now, Gavin didn’t do silence, never did, never will. Turning on a small speaker and putting on a playlist, the man got to work cleaning up the leftovers of their mess in the living room. The low beats calmed him as he hand washed dishes, finding comfort in the chore. He hardly noticed the slight chill in the kitchen when he finished them and flicked off lights as he exited the room. 

Bringing the speaker with him, Gavin hummed along to the songs-- old classics that he loved since he was a teenager. He shivered as the chill started to worsen; the skin on the back of his neck prickled as he ascended the stairs and padded down the hallway to the master bedroom. He smiled when he remembered the small struggle between the three of them when they tried to put his mattress up the stairs earlier in the day. The little memory comforted him, but also left him a little hollow. There were no noises from the city or neighbors to fill the gap. 

Regardless, Gavin went through the motions that everyone else does to get ready for bed every single night. Shower, wash your face, clean your ears, brush your teeth, put clean underwear on, _etc, etc, etc._ But the nagging feeling of being watched kept making him look around to check over his shoulder or have his back to a wall. Gavin chalked it all up to being in a new environment, just something he’d get over in time. 

He groaned once his back hit the crisp sheets, his sore muscles relaxing from the sensation. Gavin could barely read a text from Beth saying they got home safely before he pulled a blanket over his body and passed out. 

 

 

———— 

 

 

Pain. 

_Pain, pain, pain._

Searing and white-hot as it tore through his chest, making Gavin jolt straight up from the bed. He clutched at his chest as he struggled to breath like he was drowning from the inside and burn on the outside. 

His brain immediately supplied _punctured lung, home invasion, an assailant, find the assailant._

He clutched at his chest, _apply pressure, stop the bleeding,_ but felt nothing. No blood, no wound. Nothing.

He tried breathing again and with it, the pain lessened and lessened until he couldn’t feel anything at all. Not his hands, his feet, his legs, arms, neck, face. Nothing. 

There was nothing he could do. Nothing. 

Nothing when a figure in the darkness came from the corner of his room to stand at the foot of his bed. Bright blue eyes stared at him as his ashen features contorted into a silent scream and blood erupted from his chest, right over his lung, and blood flowed and flowed and flowed down, and Gavin could do _nothing._

 

 

———— 

 

 

He woke up with a jolt. It was still dark in the bedroom, moonlight filtered in from the window and only gave him enough light to just feel around the sheets for his phone. 

The blue light from the phone made his eyes water with how bright it was, and he read the time: 1:29 AM.

Gavin rolled back over to place his phone on the nightstand and rubbed his face in his hands. He really needed to stop looking at case files before he went to bed or maybe he just needed some vacation because having dreams about people getting murdered was not something Gavin wanted. 

When a wave of cold washed over him, Gavin made another mental note to get the air conditioning checked out. He also thought that he should write a list, but his eyes started to drop again, missing the pair of eyes that watched him from the corner of the room.


End file.
